Alumni Publications-July 2016
The Asbury Journal
The Asbury Journal publishes scholarly essays and book reviews written from a Wesleyan perspective. The Journal’s authors and audience reflect the global reality of the Christian church, the holistic nature of Wesleyan thought, and the importance of both theory and practice in addressing the current issues of the day. Authors include Wesleyan scholars, scholars of Wesleyanism/Methodism, and scholars writing on issues of theological and theological education importance. For the first time, the Asbury Journal is now published online at the following link: http://place.asburyseminary.edu/asburyjournal .
The Sacramental Piety of Early American Methodists: The Fluvanna Conference of 1779 Revisited
Article Featured in Wesley and Methodist Studies volume 8:2 (June 2016)
By Steven Bruns (M.Div., 2001)
There is continuing debate over the place of the sacraments in early American Methodism and the extent to which the Methodists valued them. The Fluvanna Conference of 1779 is key to understanding early American Eucharistic piety. By analyzing the American Methodists’ writings, a sacramental piety that is primarily ecclesiological is discovered. This piety is congruent with one dimension of John Wesley’s Eucharistic theology: that the sacraments are a marker of a true church. The American Methodists in 1779 sought the authority to administer the sacraments so they could have an independent church.
The Family Life of a Christian Leader
By Ajith Fernando (M. Div., 1974)
Anyone involved in Christian ministry knows how challenging it is to balance ministry and family responsibilities. Many demands pull leaders in different directions—making it easy to neglect one or the other, often without even realizing it. Writing from decades of counseling and personal ministry experience, Ajith Fernando points Christian leaders back to the most important aspect of their lives: their relationship with God. He then offers practical guidance for responding to real-life situations in the home, including disciplining children, dealing with disappointment, loving one’s spouse, and pursuing joy. This book presents Christian leaders with a healthy and God-centered understanding of family that leads to a flourishing home.
Evolution and Holiness
By Matthew Hill (M.Div., 2007)
Theology needs to engage what recent developments in the study of evolution mean for how we understand moral behavior. How does the theological concept of holiness connect to contemporary understandings of evolution? In this groundbreaking work, Matthew Hill uses the lens of Wesleyan ethics to offer a fresh assessment of the intersection of evolution and theology.
HOLY is a Four Letter Word
By Charles C. Lake (B.Div., 1965, D. Min., 1981)
Holy Is a Four-Letter Word responds to the need for an accessible and simple articulation of the holy life, and what it means for the collective church as well as for individual believers. This goal is accomplished by taking the fundamental tenants of holiness doctrine and shaping them around twelve four-letter words: (1) Holy, (2) Self, (3) Full, (4) Pure, (5) Will, (6) Mind, (7) Body, (8) Love, (9) Rest, (10) Life, (11) Sent, and (12) Call. Each chapter deals with holy living according to scripture as it pertains to each four-letter word.
Rev. Dr. Stephen Elliott graduated from the D. Min. program at Asbury a few years back and now teaching at Kingswood University in Sussex, New Brunswick. He has published a book just out this month called, By Signs And Wonders (Seedbed Publishing). Perhaps you should note this in a future update. His e-mail is elliotts@kingswood.edu Thanks. Ian